Scar Reduction

You can schedule a scar reduction service with or without an acupuncture session. This service is $40 stand alone, or is included in an acupuncture session. Scars more than one month old can be treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine.

This service can be performed needle-free, or using acupuncture needles. Depending on your scar type and preferences it may involve a combination of acupuncture, moxibustion/moxa (a warming herbal therapy), compresses and other topical applications, and/or massage. These techniques not only reduce the appearance of scars but also break up scar tissue and adhesions, improve nerve and tissue regeneration, reduce keloids and calcification, and ease pain and other lasting symptoms.

Scars may not only be cosmetically undesirable, but may also have an impact on the health of the individual. This is especially true for very large scars; scars with abnormal coloration, lumpiness, numbness, tingling, itchiness, heat or cold sensations, achiness or pain, tenderness to touch, and muscle restriction. Such scars and associated adhesions can indicate or lead to nerve and blood vessel damage, decreased range of motion and muscle strength, increased likelihood of future injury, and chronic pain (especially pins and needles, tingling, and numbness). Scars are especially notable on the torso, where underlying adhesions can impair bowel function, chronic pelvic pain or infertility, depending on the site of the scar.

In Chinese medicine, significant scars are considered to block the flow of the meridians, (similar to the nerve and blood vessel damage pointed to by Western medicine) causing not only pain and decreased circulation, but also potentially impaired internal organ function depending on the meridian affected. Learn more about scars in Chinese Medical Theory here.